10 Unforgettable Vinnie Paul Moments

Legendary Pantera / Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul has suddenly passed away at age 54. In memory of one of the tightest and most powerful drummers in history, we rounded up 10 unforgettable moments from the life on Vinnie Paul.

Paul’s drum parts were one of the driving forces behind Pantera. The opening for “Primal Concrete Sledge” is a complete monster, especially live. It showed Pantera at their most rhythmic, with Vinnie essentially taking the lead for the Cowboys From Hell track. We also found some killer footage of Vinnie slamming the double bass part in “Becoming,” which is perhaps the most complex Pantera percussion piece.

Vinnie will always be remembered as an incredibly friendly, welcoming and warm man who had an eternal love for music. “I’ve never been married, I don’t have any kids. I’ve always been married to music,” Paul said in a Hellyeah interview. “I keep that really close to my heart and I stay focused all the time. It’s all about being real, playing the music and feeling that power of being part of an army.”

We were lucky enough to film a ‘Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?’ segment with Vinnie Paul in 2016. One of the fallacies he disproved was an entry about Pantera originally being named “Pantera’s Metal Magic.” Actually, the name Pantera was suggested by a friend of Paul’s, inspired by a race car.

Check out these 10 Unforgettable Vinnie Paul Moments in the Loud List above.